Safety device for railways



J. J. H. MOREL-REVOIL June 2-8, 1927. 1,633,906

'SAFETY DEVICE FOR RAILWAYS Filed Jan.'2 l. 1926 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FWMWJ. J. H. MORELREVOIL SAFETY DEVICE FOR RAILWAYS Filed Jan. 21 1926 2Sheets-Sheet 2 y-wmzw WW W Patented June 28, 1927.

P-UNITED STATES PATENT 'orrlcrs JULES aosnrn HENRI MOREL-BEVOIL, or ramsrnnncn.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR f'RAILWAYS.

Application filed January 21, 1926, Serial No. 82,786, and in FranceJanuary 27, 1925.

The safety devices now used on railway lines comprise trackapparatuswhich either causes the visual signs which might not beperceived by the engine driver to be re peated on the engine or elsemake-the train stop automatically. But it is nearly impossible for theengine-driver to ascertain whilst heis driving whether this trackapparatus is in good working order. Nearly all the railway accidents maybe ascribed to this fact.

According to my invention the track apparatus is normally used not forstopping the train or for repeating the signals on board the engine, buton the contrary for preventing an automatic device from work-' ing,which would otherwise produce the slowing down or the stopping of thetrain at predetermined intervals. By means 1 of this arrangement thedefective state or working of the track apparatus has no influence onthe safety of the train and only causes a supplementary stopping of thetrain.

The apparatus built'according to my invention produces automaticallystoppages of the train at predetermined intervals, whenever the actionof the brake is not prevented by the action of a track apparatus overwhich the enginepasses. The result is that the railway line is dividedinto a certain number of sections at the end of which the train slowsdown andthen stops if nothing is done for making it continue itsjourney.

Two apparatuses embodying my invention are shown by way of example onappended drawings whereof Fig. 1 is a diagrammatical front viewofaparticularly simple apparatus,

Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatical view of a second apparatus. I

The simpler apparatus shown on Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a toothed wheel 1mounted loose on a shaft 2 secured'to the mechanism casing; a spiralspring 3 secured by onelof its ends to the toothed wheel and by theother to the shaft 2 urges the wheel 1 in the direction of the arrow 7;The toothed wheel bears two projections 4, 4t projecting on either sideof the toothed wheeh The projection a is secured to the wheel by meansnot shown whichv allow its angular position to be adjusted at will. Thisprojection l, in a given point of its predetermined travelling pathcomes against a lever 5 mounted on the shaft 2. By a lever arrangement 6thelever 5 is adapted to control the brakes' The toothed wheel 1 isactuated by a catch 7 secured to the end of a rod 8 sliding in the slide9. The catch 7which acts as a driving pawl moves to and fro at regularintervals under'the action of a cam 10 the rotation of which iscontrolled by the locomotive wheels through a suitable gearwork. Asecond catch or detent 11 is pivotally secured to the casing andprevents the wheel 1 when setfree by the driving pawl '2'v from movingOn the shaft 2 is also mounted loosely a lever 12 showing a projection13 disposed below the, catches 7 and 11 and adapted to release them. Thelever 12 also bears the armature 14.;of the polarized electromagnet 15with the core of which it is normally kept in contact, theelectron'iagnet beingconstant- 17 weaker than the spring 3 urges the,armature 14 away from its elcctromagnet 15.

The manner of working of the above described device' is as follows:

Normally the driving pawl 7 and the detent 11 provide for a step by stepmotion of the toothed wheel 1. After a certain number of revolutions ofthe engine wheel, that is after a givendistance is travelled theprojection 4 arrives in front of the lever 5 and by pushing the latterprovides for the braking of the train which therefore stops. But ifbefore the two parts come into contact, the brush 16 has passed over atrack apparatus 18 through which D. C. passes, the electromagnet isenergized by a current stronger than and of opposite polarity withreference to that of the polarizing battery 19 whereby its action isreversed so that the electromagnet 15 lets go the armature 14:. Thelever 12 is raised by the spring 17 and its projection 13 lifts thecatches 7 and 11. Thetoothed wheel 1 urged bythe spring 3 rotatesin thedirection of the arrow 7; the projection at comes back to its originalposition and pressing down the lever 12 obliges the" armature 141 tocome back against the core of the electromagnet 15, as the spring 17 isweaker thanthe spring 3 and the brush is no more in contact with thetrackapparatus 18. The result is that the train is not stopped and thatit may proceed on its journey until the projection 4 has travelled roundup to its contact position with the lever 5 or until a track apparatusagain releases the catches.

The device shown on Fig. 3 is very similar to that on Figs. 1 and 2 butit provides for better results. The same parts arereferred to by thesame reference numbers. In this device the toothed wheel 1 is keyed tothe shaft 2. The spiral spring 3 is secured by one end to this shaft andby the other to a stationary part 20. By reason of the direction of itswinding it urges the toothed wheel to move in the direction of the arrowThe shaft 2 is provided with a square end 21 over which can be secured acam the shape of which is such as will produce the desired result. Inthe present case, the cam shows three parts: the inner part 23 havingthe smallest diameter is used for the train at full speed, theintermediary part 24- of the profile is used for the slowing down andthe outer part 25 showing the largest diameter for the stopping. A lever26 pivoting round a stationary point 27 bears on the cam through aroller secured to its end. A rod 28 is pivoted to this lever andcontrols the double regulating valve V. This valve comprises twochambers 29 and 30 the former of which is connected through a pipe 31with the compressed air chamber. The chamber 30 is connected through thepipe 32 with the brake controlling device. A. tubular slide valve 33provided with apertures 34 is adapted to slide inside the valve body andseparates the two chambers 29 and 30. A piston 35 showing a circulargroove 36 moves inside the slide valve and is con nected with the rod28. The slide valve 33 is pivotally secured to the levers 37 and 38; oneend of the latter lever engages a groove 39 provided in a ring 40secured to the sliding sleeve 4L2 :of a centrifugal regulator 4-1. Thisregulator is mounted on the shaft l3 actuated by the driving shaft as ofthe engine.

Thedevice works in the following manner:

The movement of the locomotive provides for a step by step movement ofthe wheel 1 as explained in connection with Fig. 1. As long as the endroller of the lever 26 bears on the part 23 of the cam the device is inits normal position. After a certain time if nothing is changed, thepart 2% of the cam comes under the said roller and. lifts it slightly.This movementis transmitted to the piston 35 the groove 36 of whichcomes partly in front of the. apertures 3l whereby the compressed air isallowed to flow from the chamber :29 into the chamber 30 and therefromthrough the pipe 32 into the brake controlling device. A certain brakingeffect is produced and the engine slows down. If

the movement of the cam 22 continues its part 25 comes under the rollerof the lever 26. The piston 35 rises still more and its groove 36coincides completely with the apertures 34:. The air passes directlyfrom the pipe 31'into the pipe 32 and thence into the brakes. therebystopping the engine.

But if, as in the preceding case, the brush 16 has passed over asuitably excited track ai iparatus 18 before the part 2& of the camarrives under the roller of the lever 26, the armature 1a is no morekept down by the electromagnet 15; the lever 12 urged by the spring 17lifts the catches 11 and 7 so that the wheel 1 is free to rotate in thedirection of the arrow until the projection 4t brings the lever 1:2 backagainst the electromagnet 15 against which thearmature is again keptdown. The engine is allowed to continue its journey.

It should be noted that each time the en gine stops, the engine drivermust set the device hack into its working position by lifting thecatches 7 and 11 whereby the spring 3 is allowed to bring the cam backinto its original position. This can be done for instance by means of asuitable knob which also controls through the rodv 51, the automaticregistering of the stoppages on the usual time chart actuated byclockwork for the purpose of controlling the engine driver. Therecording mechanism has not been illustrated as same does not form partof this invention.

The object of the centrifugal regulator 41 is to make the tubular slidevalve 33 rise or sink according to the speed of the en gine. To eachspeed of the engine corresponds a predetermined position of the slidevalve and consequently a predetermined distance between the apertures 34and the groove 36. V

It should be noted that when the train has slowed down, the enginedriver can prevent its stopping altogether. He only needs 4 to lift thecatches and. 11 whilst the roller of the lever 26 is still bearing onthepart 24 of the cam.

The advantages of the device shown on Fig. 3 over that shown on Figs. 1and 2 are the following:

1. The cams 22 can be replaced. easily and their profiles adapted .tothe kind of train which is to be protected (express, passenger, goodstrain) and to the distance which it is desired to travel between themoment when the deviceis set working and the moment it may stop thetrain. The profile may be such as will produce one or more slowing downperiods before the train is completely stopped.

2. The cam can be disposed outside the device whereby it can be replacedwithout needing to open the casing enclosing the rest ofthe device.

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3. lVhen the train travels a distance greater than has been contemplatedthe lever 26 lets the cam pass without being damaged whereas the lever 5(Fig. 1) may be daniaged.

In view of avoiding breakages it is of advantage to provide teeth onlyround part of the wheel 1 whereby the catches 7 and 11 move withoutactuating the wheel, when the latter is at the end of its journey, untilthey are set working again.

What I claim is:

1. A safety'device for railways compris ing an engine, a toothed wheelborne by same, a spiral spring urging same, a catch device controlled bythe engine wheels and adapted to give the toothed wheel a step by stepmotion against the action of the spring, a part borne by the said wheel,an arrangement adapted to actuate the braking device when it is pushedby the part borne by the toothed wheel, a device adapted to release thecatches from the toothed wheel a polarized electromagnet adapted when itis excited to actuate the last mentioned device and track apparatus fedwith D. C. and feeding the electromagnet when the engine passes oversaid apparatus.

2. A safety device for railways comprising an engine, a toothed wheelborne by same, a spiral spring urging same, a catch device controlled bythe engine wheels and adapted to give the toothed wheel a step by stepmotion against the action of the spring, a part borne by the said wheel,an arrangement adapted to actuate the braking device when it is pushedby the part borne by the toothed wheel, a lever, a projection againstthe electromagnet and track apparatus fed with D. C. and feeding theelectromagnet when the engine passes over said apparatus.

3. A safety devicetor railways comprising an engine a toothed wheelborne by same, a spiral spring vurging same, a catch device controlledby the engine wheels and adapted to give the toothed wheel a step bystep motion against the action of the spring, a cam borne by the saidwheel, a lever actuated by said'cam and controlling the braking device,automatic means whereby the toothed wheel disengages its catches whenthe engine passes over track apparatus fed with D. O. and a knob fordisengaging the catchesfrom the toothed wheel.

4. A safety device for railways'compris ing an englne, a toothed wheelborne by same a s iral s rin ur 'in same a catch 7 O C b 7

